Wednesday, September 12, 2012

365 Things Every New Mom Should Know by Linda Danis

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

***Special thanks to Ginger Chen of Harvest House for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Linda Danis has a degree in marketing and spent five years in hotel
management before staying at home to run a hotel of a different
sort—guests ages 3, 6, 9, and 11. Linda has written Sunday school
curricula, started a co–op preschool, and leads a Moms in Touch prayer
ministry at her children’s school. She lives with her husband, Dave,
and children in California.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

This daily guide to the first year of a baby s life combines prayerful, playful, and practical information to energize new moms. Features weekly devotionals and daily activities that foster a baby s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual growth.

After all these long months, your precious little baby has finally
arrived. The child you have longed for is here to hold, to look at, and to
touch. Your baby will look up at you and recognize your familiar voices. You
are the ones he has been longing to meet—his mommy and daddy! Get to know your
sweet little baby—hold him, rock him, smell his skin, gaze at him, marvel at
his tiny fists, caress him. Treasure this awesome miracle!

Day 2

On the day you bring your baby home for the first time, have
everyone in your family place their hands on her and pray for her. This will be
a precious moment for your family to share together as you welcome her into
your family and give thanks to God for this wonderful gift!

Day 3

If you have older children who want to hold their new sibling, use
a nursing “donut pillow” to help them support your baby’s head. Have your child
sit all the way back on the couch. Place the semicircle nursing pillow around
his waist. Set your baby on the pillow with his bottom wedged in between your
older child’s tummy and the pillow. Rest your baby’s head on your older child’s
arm that is resting on the pillow. Even if your child lets go of the baby, his
head will still be secure on the pillow. Of course, you should always be
sitting right next to your new baby, monitoring his safety. This also works for
young visitors, but I would suggest waiting a week or two before letting a
nonfamily-member child hold your baby.

Day 4

Despite what all the books may say, most
women experience some soreness (or a lot of soreness!) in the first weeks of
nursing. Try using your Lamaze breathing when your baby latches onto your
breast. If your nipples are cracked or blistered, blot them dry with a cotton
diaper after you have finished nursing. Saliva has enzymes that can irritate
sore nipples. After you have dried the saliva off, express a little milk and
rub it on your nipples. Let them air dry. Also, do not look down at your baby
the entire time you nurse. This position can strain your neck and cause tension
headaches. If you can persevere through the first two weeks of nursing, things
will get better.

Day 5

Sometimes as a new parent it’s hard to tell whether or not you
should call your pediatrician. If you are reluctant to call your doctor in the
middle of the night, you can usually call the nursery at the hospital where you
gave birth. The nurses are awake and can advise you as to whether you should
call your doctor right away or if it can wait until the morning. Do not
wait if your baby has a fever higher than 99.9 degrees rectally (this is the
most accurate way to take your baby’s temperature). Call your doctor
immediately.

Day 6

Drink water every time you nurse to stay hydrated and to maintain
your milk supply. Always keep a water bottle close at hand. It is a good idea
to set up a “nursing station” wherever you will be nursing the most. Have
everything you need right at hand—a water bottle, a burp cloth, a nursing
pillow, a book or magazine to read, and nursing pads.

Day 7

When your baby startles while lying on her back (the Moro reflex),
gently but firmly hold her hands together close to her chest to calm her and
make her feel more secure. Say, “It’s okay, sweetheart. Mommy will help you.”
This reflex will disappear by four months.

Reflections on the Week

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.

1
Samuel 1:27

Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you, before you were born I set you apart.

Jeremiah
1:5

An Incredible
Love

You have had your baby only one short week and yet you can hardly
remember what life was like without him. You prepared for months for his
arrival—read books, set up the nursery, went to prenatal classes—yet nothing
could prepare you for the overwhelming love you feel for this child. There are
no words quite powerful enough to describe the emotions you feel.

Then the impossible happened; each day you grew to love him more.
The sheer magnitude of love takes your breath away. Can there be anything more
wonderful than when he gazes into your eyes, when you feel his small body
curled up in your arms, when you feel his warm breath on your cheek, when his
little fingers wrap tightly around yours? Your heart is ready to burst with
this new miracle in your life.

It doesn’t matter if this is your first or fifth child, the
profound love you feel for your new baby never changes. I remember during my
second pregnancy, I secretly worried that I might not love this new baby as
much as my first. How could I ever love another child as much as I loved her?
But the moment I held my new baby, I knew immediately I had worried for
nothing. There was no difference in my love. It was as amazingly wonderful and
intense as the love I had for my first. It happened again when my third and
fourth children were born. We don’t have to divide our love between our
children. Our love actually multiplies, giving us even more love to share. It
is one of the ways God’s love works in motherhood. We just have more and more
love to give away!

Dear God, thank You for this precious little baby. He is
everything I prayed for. Everything about him is perfect. Words can hardly
describe how much I love him. Because of him, I have a better idea now of how
much You, my heavenly Father, love me. Please help me adjust to all the changes
I will face as a new mother. Amen.

My Thoughts:

I wish this lovely book had been available when I was a new mother. It is full of so much useful information that covers everything from your baby's development to helpful hints for stimulating your little one and even helpful hints, prayers and reflections for you.

This book is a wonderful and delightful tool that will come in handy throughout your child's first year. There are so many songs and little games you can play with your baby that will keep you both smiling and enjoying each day together while you build memories. I couldn't help but reflect on some of the times I had spent with my own and doing some of the activities that were listed.

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